Bay 101
Bay 101 is probably the biggest game in the SF Bay Area, but they only have limit. Hours, Tables, and Location Open 24/7. 24 tables. Usually nearly full. Located at 1801 Bering Dr, San Jose, CA 95112. Only a few minutes away from the San Jose airport. Located literally on US 101. Games Limit hold 'em: 2/4, 3/6, 6/12, 8/16, 20/40, 40/80, 100/200. All the games are regularly running, though at non-peak hours there may not be 100/200, and sometimes there may be 80/160 instead of 100/200. Games above 8/16 are held in the high-limit area (far right of the casino) with a separate brush and board. Omaha/8 runs regularly at 4/8 with a half kill and sometimes at 10/20. 7-Stud (high only) is sometimes available at 4/8. Stud hi-lo players migrated to Garden City Casino a couple miles away, while Stud hi and Omaha migrated here. NLHE not allowed here (due to county or city law). Rake is a flat $4 on all the smaller games (below 40/80), $3 for six players, $1 for five or fewer players, $1 if no flop; there is a time charge of $9/half hour at 40/80 and $13/half hour at 100/200. The Omaha/8 game is raked slightly higher. You can actually call ahead and reserve a seat for O/8, Stud, and 8/16 and higher limit. Game Review Dealers can sometimes be rude when they receive any type of criticism. A little too harsh sometimes. Low limit games can get crazy; a lot of maniacs frequent the place. While they can be profitable over the long run, having your aces cracked by the 6-9 offsuit who capped it preflop can get tiring after a while. This is definitely more a "gambling" casino, where a majority of players at your table would prefer that all hands get capped preflop, and that they would be in it with a random two cards. Posting: New players (or returning players who missed a blind) can choose to "buy the button" by posting both the small and big blinds in position after the button, in which case neither of the normal blinds posts anything. Otherwise, standard posting rules apply. Shuffling: Standard ShuffleMaster shuffling machines on all tables. Wait Time Waiting lists don't tend to be too long except on Friday and Saturday nights, when waits regularly exceed an hour. Tournaments * Offers daily tournaments, starting at 9:45 am every day (8:45 on Saturdays). Spread limit (the equivalent of NLHE, since the spreads are huge) on all days except Sunday, when it's Limit. Most tourneys fill up at around 120 players. Buyins range from $60 to $125; prize pools can get quite big on weekends, with first place commonly pulling down close to $10K. * The Bay 101 Shooting Star is their big annual tournament held around the beginning of March each year, part of the World Poker Tour. Like the WSOP, it has a number of different events, ranging from limit to pot limit to different buyins, but the main event is still the $10,000 NLHE tourney you see on TV. * They also host a "Bay 101 Open" major tournament every year, in the fall. Jackpots Jackpots are prohibited by law in the city of San Jose. Atmosphere Large, high ceilings, open and airy and fairly "fancy" and upscale. Pretty clean and tidy. Neighborhood: Located in an office-park area near the airport in San Jose, this is a very clean and upscale neighborhood. The area really slows down after business hours. Parking: HUGE onsite parking lot with over 200 spaces. Tables and Chairs: The tables haven't been replaced or resurfaced in a few years, but they're still serviceable, with soft felt and comfortable arm cushions. The chairs are standard metal-frame padded chairs. Service and Comps Food is pretty good, and service is acceptable in terms of attentiveness. Prices are not that great (no real discounts for seated players or anything). Standard "wheeled side tables" allow you to eat while you play, though the tables are a bit small. You are not allowed to bring in food or drinks from outside. Comps are limited to only coffee and water, self serve at the main station in the back of the room. Links * Official Bay 101 Website * Tournament Calendar * The Yahoo Review Page for Bay 101. * A review of Bay 101 from a poker player who visited in March 2005. * A report of one of the early Bay 101 Shooting Star tournaments * Nearest competitor is Garden City Casino, 7 miles to the south. Visited By Wiki Authors Since it's in his hometown of San Jose, User:MarkT MarkT has visited a number of times. Most recent visit was in Feb 2006, and this page was updated with information current as of then.